Delete for real, keep what law requires
Deletion requests reach files, search, AI copies and chat history, while legal holds stay in force.
LiveWhat does Erasure cascade & legal hold do? Handle DPDP and GDPR deletion requests without breaking tax record rules, and answer the auditor's 'what about the AI copy?'
How it works
Once you erase a document, it disappears from search straight away. Each night a clean-up job deletes the stored file, its search entry and the AI's copy once the removed record is older than the holding period (90 days unless your set-up says otherwise); the record itself goes only after all three succeed. When someone reopens an earlier chat, the link to the deleted document is taken off the answer. Records the law requires you to keep are kept. A legal hold stops deletion, and the person who placed it can't lift it.
When an earlier chat is reopened, a deleted document no longer appears as a source, and the chat says some sources are no longer available.
Step by step
Here is how a deletion request is handled, for example a customer or former employee asking for their personal data to be removed.
- A request arrives. The person, or someone for them, asks for their personal data to be deleted. Your adviser decides whether the request is valid and what must be kept.
- A senior administrator opens Right to erasure. Only the top administrators can. They choose the kind of person (customer or vendor, platform user, HR employee or transport driver), type the ID and pick the reason, for example a privacy-law request. The reason is saved in the audit log.
- They confirm by typing the ID again. The Dispatch button stays disabled until the two entries match, so the wrong person is not erased by a slip.
- Every application that holds the person's data processes it. Each one removes or blanks the personal details it holds. Records the law requires you to keep, such as invoices, receipts, payments, purchase orders, credit notes, contracts and leases, are kept and listed as retained.
- Documents are withdrawn at once and removed in full after a 90-day holding window. Files linked to the person are marked deleted and stop appearing in search and AI answers straight away. Once the record is past the holding window (90 days by default), the nightly job deletes the stored file, its search entry and its AI copy, and removes the record only after all three succeed.
- The person's Ask Kinnow chats are cleared. Their conversations are removed and the message text is replaced with "[erased]".
- A report comes back. For each application it shows how many records were changed, which record sets were kept for the law, and any errors. Running the same request again changes nothing further.
Ask us to run a deletion on test data so you can read the report.
What you see on screen
The screen is Admin, then Right to erasure, with a runbook link beside it.
| Where | What you see |
|---|---|
| Subject type, Subject ID, Reason | The three inputs that say who is being erased and on what basis. |
| Confirm subject ID | A second entry of the ID; Dispatch stays off until it matches. |
| Irreversible warning | A reminder that personal data is removed everywhere, that records the law requires are kept and shown in the report, and that a repeat run changes nothing. |
| Report summary | How many rows were affected, across how many applications, how many record sets were kept under legal retention and how many applications failed. |
| Per-application table | Columns for Application, Rows, Retention hold and Notes, with errors in red. |
| Vault, Governance | The Vault's own page explains that erasure reaches the stored files, the search index and the AI copies together. |
Who uses it
A few named people.
| Who | When | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Super-administrator | When a valid request is received | Runs the erasure and keeps the report. |
| Data protection lead or CA | Before and after | Decides what the law requires you to keep, and confirms the report. |
| Document owner or legal | When a dispute is live | Places a legal hold so a document cannot be deleted. |
| Auditor | At review | Reads the audit log entry and the report. |
Ask us to show a legal hold blocking a deletion, and the report that results.
Related
- One secure home for company documents: who can see which document.
- Veil: what is held back before AI sees your text.
- DPDP Act: the Indian data protection law in plain words.
- Data residency: where your data is stored.
Questions
What is Erasure cascade & legal hold in Kinnow?
Deletion requests reach files, search, AI copies and chat history, while legal holds stay in force.
What changes for the business?
Handle DPDP and GDPR deletion requests without breaking tax record rules, and answer the auditor's 'what about the AI copy?'
Is it available today?
Yes, it is live.
Does deleting a person delete their invoices?
No. Invoices, receipts, payments, purchase orders, credit notes, contracts and leases are kept because the law requires you to keep them. Personal details that are not needed are blanked where possible, and the report lists what was kept.
Can I undo an erasure?
No. The screen warns that it cannot be undone. Ask your adviser before you run it.
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